Planning for the future of work

The challenge facing most young people today is “planning for the future” in terms of their job stability – whether they are already gainfully employed, or whether they are now seeking to enter the workforce. On the one hand, those already employed usually seek to enhance their career prospects by earning further educational qualifications in a course of study suited to the new position that they seek. Those looking to enter the workforce and garner a well-paying position from the outset also seek to qualify themselves, in turn reading for bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees – a minority even making it all the way to their doctoral degrees – before seeking out permanent work.

Previously, the path to a decent wage and a modestly fulfilling career required no greater strategy than the one previously described: qualification through academic study and certification and, thereafter, dedicated application to the job. However, with the passage of time and the continuing lifestyle changes brought about by rapid technological advancements, the worldwide job market is also going through dramatic changes. As much as Guyana has been largely insulated, both from the advances in technology and the resultant lifestyle and job market changes, the impending oil economy can bring about overnight changes that will radically affect our job market.

Much discussion around the world in recent years on the future of work has focused in on whether artificial intelligence (or AI) will take jobs from humans. Indeed, this is a real occurrence as it is already happening, as it has happened before during the industrial revolution. However, young people entering the workforce here in Guyana must realise that while technology is changing how we do what we do, constant learning and relearning is the way to keep up and get ahead of the knowledge skills required to maintain employability in the changing work environment.

Indeed, the era of jobs for life has disappeared, replaced by transformations in the society, where new technologies and new ways of working are not only creating new tasks but demanding new ways of thinking about work and doing work. One of the largest and continuously growing industries today is the data industry (Big Data), and the growth of this industry is dramatically transforming the way business is done in all other industries. Through driving change and innovation in other industries, the data industry is creating redundancies but at the same time opening up new opportunities in new knowledge and skills arenas.

According to a widely held belief, “learning to learn” is the ultimate life skill, and in the context of work it is an indispensable one. Whether in formal employment or not, young jobseekers will find that they need to be able to challenge traditional ways of working and thinking, and to be flexible and prepared for change, which is the only constant.

During his Independence address in May this year, President David Granger spoke of the country’s youth as being central to the future of work. He urged young people to think about their role in driving development while tapping into government initiatives aimed at preparing them for future responsibilities. The blueprint, he said, would require emphasis on skills training, better alignment between education and required skills and, more importantly, proactive action in how we are developing the next generation of the workforce. Are youths ill-prepared? However much the necessity for planning for the future might impact our youth, dealing with the present is also of critical importance. There is also a common perception that many young people are ill-prepared for the world of work and that they lack the required “work ethic.” Recent data compiled by LinkedIn revealed that new degree-holders have twice as many jobs in their first five postcollege years now as they did in the mid1980s. LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, sharing his view, said that for many young people careers are now simply “tours of duty.”

Given these trends, it is increasingly clear that young people’s socialisation into work has seen a change of focus from building a “career” to constantly looking for work opportunities that offer some benefit or other that is greater than that of their current job. Whether this attitude will in time become the new desirable norm, only time will tell, but for now, employers look for stability in a job seeker.

But what does a career represent? A career is something that builds over time and endures. It gives us the opportunity to progress in a line of work, and pays tangible rewards, allowing us to live well. As opportunities open across sectors, it’s important that young job seekers are encouraged to create career paths, balancing this with the awareness of knowledge and skills direction required by future workforce changes.

Required skills The skills required to gain, and secure jobs vary, depending on the role, but certain skills are essential to any role, including, ‘cognitive skills’ - understanding, applying, analysing, evaluating, and creating. There are the ‘feeling’ skills – interpersonal, self-management, language and social skills. Having formal and practical knowledge, in addition to competency, is also crucial to performing tasks.

Increasingly, the concept of ‘employability’ - that is, the capability to gain employment, maintain it and obtain new employment, if required, is gaining relevance. Employability focusses on the individual’s peculiar assets, knowledge, skills, attributes and behaviours, and how the individual deploys them and presents them to an employer.

Continuous learning Professionals in the workplace strive to meet the highest standards of competence and commit to strengthening competencies on a continuous basis. Therefore, young entrants must follow suit and commit to continuous learning, skills development, and application of new knowledge related to both the particular job function and the organisation as a whole.

Youths must pursue certification where available, or comparable measures of competencies and knowledge to get ahead and stay there.

It is becoming increasingly clear that Guyana must become a learning society, in which there is a culture of (and opportunities for) lifelong learning in order to provide the skills required for competitiveness in a global economy.

At the level of government policy, there ought to be serious consideration of how weaknesses in the national approach to skills development translate into skills deficiencies and shortages in organisations, and correspondingly how strengths translate into innovation and organisational strength.

In sum, learning, and development are of crucial importance to individuals and their outcomes are of strategic importance to organisations and beyond them, the wider economy. Young jobseekers must find a way to stay relevant in an evolving job market.

Iana Seales is an HR Professional and a Society for Human Resource Management Member. She currently leads the HR Team at Guyana Industrial Minerals Inc. You can email her comments at ianaseales@yahoo.com